Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians 2:
9 But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
Paul had a history of studying the Law relying on his logic and common sense as well as the education of his teachers. However, he soon found out that he was missing a vital aspect in understanding- The Holy Spirit. You only have to look at the disciples in the Gospels to realize their inability to walk in faith even though they were eyewitnesses to the miracles and were given personalized instruction by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
How are we to comprehend the Divine Intent of Our Heavenly Father without receiving HIS Holy Spirit? It is clear that salvation and the baptism of The Holy Spirit are two separate events. I received salvation and was water baptized years before I received the baptism in The Holy Spirit at the age of twenty. That night changed the course of my life and all my priorities immediately changed.
I can appreciate the need of praying in THE SPIRIT to receive deeper revelations of FATHER’S Divine Intent. In the above passage, Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4 with one change from “for the one who waits for Him” to “for those who love Him”. Paul experienced Agape Love when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Jesus converted the enemy of believers and showed Saul His Agape Love. Paul’s calling was to write a major portion of the New Testament, being led by The Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14, Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT:
18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all.
Paul discloses the key to being able to write the Epistles- he prayed directly out of his spirit to FATHER without allowing his mind to interfere or alter:
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
The Amplified Version:
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive
[because it does not understand what my spirit is praying]
.
As we received revelation through The Holy Spirit, then our minds can and will be transformed by their renewing as Paul wrote in Romans chapter 12:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
In order to “prove” something, you must be able to recognize as genuine after examination. How can you recognize anything if you are blinded? FATHER opens our eyes of understanding as we pray in THE SPIRIT. This allows the transformation of our minds to take place for now we can begin to examine everything by the exact Truth of FATHER’S Divine Intent rather than the latest socially acceptable standard promoted by the world.
Paul further wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 2:
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Paul explains the importance of the baptism of The Holy Spirit thus being able to pray in THE SPIRIT. It is but foolishness to the natural man and he does not have the ability to know the spiritual things. However, we have been given the mind of Christ to be guided in all that we say and do. Our understanding of the various facets of The Word greatly improves as we continue our prayer life.
In 1990, FATHER instructed me to spend one hour each weekday morning before HIM, mainly praying in THE SPIRIT. This lasted 10 years until HE told me I had completed this phase of maturing. I look back and see how I was sustained through some notable challenges during that decade. The Mind of Christ became more accessible to me and I was able to navigate the trials which confronted me.
Some people might say that speaking in tongues is not critical but I agree with Paul!